This invention relates to food dispensers and more particularly to dispensers for butter, lard, or other materials of similar consistency. Specifically this invention relates to improvements in a dispensing device making the device easier to disassemble and clean.
Generally, butter has been dispensed and applied to food by means of a knife from a tub or paper wrapped stick thereof. Recent innovations, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,247, provides for a butter holder and dispenser whereby the butter may be selectively ejected from the end of a housing within which it is stored and held. It is of paramount importance in such devices to provide complete disassembly so the device may be cleaned throughout, and also for this disassembly to be simple and quick or the device would not be practical as a consumer item. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,247 issued to R. R. DiGiantomasso, there is provided a rectangular housing for accepting a paper wrapped stick of butter as is customarily sold in the grocery stores. A piston is affixed on the end of a shaft and the shaft is rotated within a threaded opening in the closed end of the housing to force the piston against the butter and eject the butter from the open end of the housing. In this prior dispenser, apparatus is provided for quickly and simply opening the closed end of the dispenser for cleaning, but no means are provided for disassembling the shaft from the piston, or, more importantly, removing the shaft from the screwed opening in the closure member. When dealing with butter, lard, or similar materials, all portions of the device must be disassembled and cleaned as the oily material tends to coat the whole device.
Briefly stated, the preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an elongated, rectangular, hollow body for receiving a traditional stick of butter having a fixed closed end with a threaded hole therein. A selectively, rotatable shaft is provided having first a bearing surface for rotating freely within the hole in the closure member, a threaded plug for engaging the threads in the closure member and causing the shaft to be removed through the hole in the closure member when the shaft is rotated in a first direction, and having the remainder of the shaft threaded in a second direction to provide a rotating screw drive force against a piston arranged for travel along this remaining portion of the shaft when the shaft is rotated in a second direction.